The pattern of themes that emerged from participants’ interviews relating to influences of academic success in community college was (a) instructors, (b) peers, and (c) financial aid. John stated his academic success developed through support from instructors and campus officials. He continued to state how his instructors encouraged him to improve academically. Through support of his instructors, John could overcome his learning disabilities because of a stroke several years ago. According to John,
After I had my stroke, it was hard for me to focus and stay on the same pace as other students. I love my teachers; they are always willing to work with me and help me when I need it. I felt as though they really cared about my education. One of my teachers’
encouraged me to get involved in student activities on campus. The more I became involved on campus, the more I felt a part of the campus. These teachers are willing to go
the extra mile for you if you let them. They literally care about your future and your education. The young generation doesn’t understand that; they think it’s an extension of high school so they come to class, try to do the work and leave. They don’t get
involved…
John continued to describe supportive experiences with his college peers,
My classmates and I get along. We all are here to get a good education and start a degree. Most of my classmates in my program are older, more mature, so we are serious about our education and we are always willing to help one another. It is like having a second family because most of us have the same classes together so we know what each other has to do. I sometimes tutor other students in my class when they need it. I made the decision a longtime ago to help as many of my classmates as possible to see them come across that stage when I cross it. We all vow not to leave anyone behind; we all going to graduate together.
Martin said his peers (classmates) supported one another, especially those who enrolled in the same classes. According to Martin,
There are not a whole lot of us (African Americans) in class but we try to help each other out because we know what we have to deal with. There are no women but a few black men. We call each other if one of us misses class; we try to make sure they got the work. Most of us have jobs and family so we know what we have to deal with. Nobody wants to see anyone fail or not make it…
Although the pattern of instructor and peers’ support related to academic success among African American males, several participants indicated instructors’ negative perceptions was discouraging and distracted them. This distraction kept them from being academically
successful; however, peers and resiliency motivated them to overcome any adversity they
believed was in the classroom. “You may get one or two teachers that do not like you because of your skin color; you just have to look past that and remember why you are there,” says Charles. “As a Black man, you get use to the stereotype and the prejudice; it is the way it is and not going to change. For me, it makes me a stronger person and wants to show them that they are not going to make me fail; I am just as good as the White or Asian guy in the classroom.”
Kevin described how the media depicts African American males in a negative way and feels the public should rejects social media altogether.
If it does not support African American males in a positive way, why should we continue to feed into the media and not challenge the way it portrays our race if it does not inspire us to be successful…Not only do people see this is the way all Black males act, teachers see this and then act a certain way toward us in the classroom. If I have a teacher that genuinely want to help me and show they are willing to do what they can to help me succeed, I do extremely well. But it does not take the teacher to help me be successful; it is a part of it but it is mainly because I want to be successful. With the constant negative portrayal by the media you have to strive extra hard to be successful.
David continued to share information of his experiences with his college instructors.
Well at first, I did not take it serious and thought they (teachers) would just help me get through. My whole attitude change after the first semester and seeing my grades was D’s and some C’s. At one point, I got an Academic Warning for my financial aid that scared me. I knew I was not trying and one thing for sure, I was not going to lose my financial aid when I could do better. It was a wake-up call because I did not want to just get by when my friends were getting on the honors and dean’s list.
David stated from this point his attitude and school behavior changed about schoolwork and college experiences. He became involved in study sessions and meeting more with instructors to maintain his grades.
Marcus summed up his academic success experiences as interacting with teachers and fellow classmates. Although he primarily worked alone to maintain his grades, he explains good study habits is the key to being successful.
I preferred to do all my homework and papers on campus than to go home and complete them. I knew, once I left campus I would not put much time and focus on my work with everything else going on in my life. I tried to make sure once I got home, I would have some time to spend with my kids and work. It’s hard trying to maintain it all but you have to stay on track and get the job done. The campus has a computer lab to get everything done, get some help if you need it and be able to send your emails and check emails. Everybody doesn’t have that type of access to get things done; it’s important to have it. Marcus spoke of benefits African American males could have in college, such as higher paying jobs and connecting with the right people for a better future.
My first impression about going to college was it was going to take too much of my time and be difficult. I did not realize how much help I could get until I was put in the
developmental classes for my math and writing. I try to tell people I know, mostly other black guys that it is not as hard as they think especially if they had some help and know the right people. You have all kinds of help to pass the classes. When you think about a tutor, you think about some old guy making it harder for you to learn the stuff…but it is not the case, I’ve had people in my class to tutor me and they make it easy to understand. Most of the guys I know (African American males) has this picture about college; it’s
mostly for whites and young kids. I try to tell them, we all lost our jobs and it’s hard to get another one without some type of degree.
Marcus summed up his response related to academic success as having common practices of good study skills and good relationships with teachers. He mentions hard work and a positive attitude can make a difference and can determine if one is successful in college,
. . . the difference between success and failure in anything you do is the attitude you have about it. Whether you’re black or white, if you are not serious about your education and aren’t willing to try to help yourself, the end result will show it. I’ve never been one to miss class or not take the responsibility of working hard to get things done. Unfortunately I should have done that a long time ago. But I’m glad I’m here and able to better myself to get to that next level. I’ll tell anybody that they have to work hard to get good grades. It’s not always about the color of their skin or people they know when it comes to learning….there are more opportunities for young people than it was when I was in high school; they just have to get out there are try.
Table 8 outlines the most predominate themes recurring throughout the Interview Protocol questions among all six study participants. The Interview Protocol Questions highlight key information to the perceptions of the six participants as it relates to the purpose of the current study.
Table 8
Predominate Themes from Interview Protocol Questions
Specific Interview Question Predominant Theme 1. What is your major or program of
study?
No predominant theme 2. Identify what factors contributed to
your academic success.
Motivation, adjustment, racial background, view of themselves, teacher support, teacher assistance
3. What type of academic challenges have you experienced?
Staying focused, mange time to commit to work, having resources to complete task 4. How would you describe academic
experiences of African American males when they first start community college?
College expectations, personal responsibility, personal commitment, attitude towards academics, study habit, teacher support 5. Did or do you currently receive
academic support services at Danville Community College? If so, what kind of services?
Teacher support, peer support, tutoring
6. Do you have outside priorities other than your education? If so, list.
Social influences, financial responsibilities, family responsibility, stereotype
7. Considering your outside
responsibilities, is it challenging to continue your education?
Overall challenge to manage family and financial responsibility, job-loss, social perceptions, and meet college expectations 8. How encouraging is your family
(spouse, children, parents, etc.) of you getting a college degree?
Family support, children support, self- determination,
9. Do you feel your educational experiences are different based on your gender? Why or why not?
Challenging for African American males, few African American males in college, social perceptions
10. Do you feel your educational experiences are different based on your race? Why or why not?
Challenging for African American males, teacher perceptions, social perceptions, lack of encouragement, self-resilience
11. Do you feel your educational experiences are different based on your financial situation? Why or why not?
Access to college based on financial aid; ability to attend because of financial aid; able to retain in college because of financial aid
12. Who or what plays an important role in your life that contributes to your educational goals?
Spouse and children
13. Do you feel people are supportive or not supportive of you, as an African American male, completing a college degree?
Supportive, negative perceptions
14. What is your main reason for attending Danville Community College?
Job-loss, career, better job, higher paying job
15. How many hours per week do you spend studying? Do you feel this is sufficient time based on other demands?
Depends on assignment or test
16. Do you feel comfortable asking questions in class? If not, what about meeting with your instructor outside of class time?
17. How different are your college peers versus your outside college friends?
College friends like-minded, outside friends have different lifestyles
18. Do you feel accepted by your college instructors? What about from the college campus?
Teachers are supportive
19. Do you interact socially on the campus such as with campus
activities and programs? Why or why not?
Clubs, student activities
20. What has been the best part of attending Danville Community College?
Classmates, teachers, self-satisfaction
21. If you were President of Danville Community College, what would be your first priority as the college President?
Student activities for African American (Black) males, African American male teachers
Validity and Reliability
Validity in the study was achieved by selecting research participants, according to the criteria specified for purposeful sampling. According to Patton (2002) purposeful sampling focus, reduce variation, and simplify analysis in a study. Therefore, age, gender, race, credit hours, degree seeking status, and willingness to participate were important factors in the recruitment process. All participants were (a) African American males attending Danville Community College, (b) degree seeking students, (c) full-time enrolled (currently enrolled in 12 or more credit hours), (d) over the age of 18, and (e) signed a consent form indicating their willingness to participate in the study.
Each participant had an opportunity to withdraw from the study through a period of a three-day waiting period before the initial interview. After participants agreed to participate by scheduling an interview, each given copies of their consent form and an opportunity to obtain a copy of their transcripts to verify information obtained and to ensure transcribed data was accurate.
According to Creswell (2005), qualitative researchers must conduct inquiry in a
subjective, biased manner to refrain from judgments, perceptions, or notations in the discussion that may influence the participant’s responses. Therefore, the researcher conducted a bracketing approach or epoche` to reduce risk of applying own perspectives within the research process and eliminate bias throughout analyzing the data. Procedures used by the researcher for data
management, organization, coding, and data analysis ensured realness and increased reliability in the study’s findings. According to Yin (2003), the goals of reliability in research is minimizing errors and biases by using multiple procedures of sources to help understand the study’s phenomenon.
Trustworthiness
According to Lincoln and Guba (1985), there are four criteria to be considered in pursuit of a trustworthy study: (1) credibility, (2) transferability, (3) dependability, and (4)
conformability. To increase creditability, the researcher conducted a Pilot Study to examine methods used within the Interview Protocol and help identify best practices for the research study’s procedures. Once elements from the Pilot Study were identified, the researcher used the process of triangulation to increase credibility. Multiple sources used thoroughly examine the Interview Protocol questions, such as computer applications Dragon Naturally Speaking Home v12 to transcribe the data, Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel to cross-check the data, and NViVo 9 to identify recurring themes and compare data interview transcriptions to interpret the research findings.
Informed Consent forms were read to participants and copies were issued after
signatures,.The Consent form contained information related to confidentiality, participant’s right to withdraw from the study at any time without penalty, research expectations, the researcher’s,
Research Chair, and Liberty University’s IRB contact information in case participants had questions or concerns regarding the study.
Because the researcher is a college administrator on the campus serving as the research site, increased the possibility of the participants changing behavior because of the researcher’s affiliation to the college. Therefore, participants were assured the study was not affiliated with the college campus, their college enrollment, or their academic records would not be affected. The participants were informed their participation was strictly on a voluntarily basis.
The researcher scheduled interviews according to participant’s schedule and conducted interviews in a private location away from the campus general population. The interview setting allowed the participants privacy and the interview procedures inspired them to discuss their own perspectives and lived experiences. Participants chose their own pseudonyms to further protect their identity within the study’s writings. Throughout the study’s interview, the researcher read each Interview Protocol question thoroughly and probed answers as needed to gain a full understanding of the participant’s experiences and in-depth knowledge as it related to the study phenomenon. By reading Interview Protocol questions allowed participants to understand the question, answer each question in its entirety and accurately.
The researcher verified answers by recording interviews, dictating voice recording, and using software to download dictated interviews into a document transcription. Participants were allowed to listen to their voice recordings after each interview to confirm transcribed
information. After transcribing the interview, transcriptions were printed and given to
participants to review for accuracy. The researcher ensured participants data obtained would be kept confidential, and information obtained would not be published or used by Liberty
The current study involved six African American male community college students. Findings obtained from the data collected may allow transferability to Asian or Hispanic populations at Danville Community College or a larger college if the study’s procedures were a similar educational environment. According to Misco (2007), transferability and its relations to generalizability of the findings can be conducted if the research approach share the same general rules, data collection and analyzing, and the situation are similar, another investigator should conclude the same results.
Summary
The purpose of the current qualitative phenomenological study was twofold; first, to explore the lived experiences of African American male students concerning factors hindering the academic progress in higher education, second was to understand the perceptions of factors influencing African American male’s academic achievement in an institution of higher
education. All the participants in the study indicated their college instructors played an integral part in making a difference in their academic experiences in a positive or negative manner. Race was not as a significant factor relating to college experiences or academic success as motivation and encouragement was from family members, friends, teachers or peers. All participants acknowledged self-perceptions and self-worth influenced their overall college perception.
Other people’s views of their college enrollment did not hinder these participants’ academic success or college enrollment decisions. However, some participants mentioned negative perceptions of them based on race as it relates to their college experiences made them more resilient to failure and influenced their attitudes of becoming successful, particularly if it were a perception by an instructor of another race. Throughout the interview, participants spoke of self-perceptions and views of their educational experiences. Participants shared how they were
influenced by others and overcame academic challenges by recognizing their own capabilities. They received support from teachers and others from the same academic environment. Few participants spoke of receiving outside (out of college) assistance to motivate and encourage their enrollment. Study participants were more self-driven to succeed and explained their interaction with college peers further advanced their experiences in postsecondary education.